8th graders have looked at how we can use ordinary things as inspiration for our work. We looked at mandalas, which are circle designs created to represent wholeness and are often made by Buddhist or Hindu people. The 8th graders created their own mandala using numbers or letters. We learned about radial symmetry and creating a circle with equal sections so that the design would repeat and connect all around the circle. They also worked on blending the colored pencils to create darker and lighter values of their colors.

6th graders looked at the artwork of Clarence Carter. He has a series of paintings called 'Over and Above' with animals peeking over a wall. We used his art as inspiration to make our own portraits with inspirational messages.

6th graders have been exploring different ways to make Japanese art. They looked at how Japan's culture values simplicity and nature. We studied Japanese tea bowls, paper cutting, and using organic lines with oil pastels.

8th graders looked at work by Wayne Thiebaud for inspiration. He has been inspired by ordinary things, such as cupcakes, cakes and other bakery items. They created their own painting of a cupcake and built a slice of cake from clay.